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Much on the line for UFC 153 titans Silva, Bonnar

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IO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - OCTOBER 12: (L-R) Opponents Anderson Silva and Stephan Bonnar bow to one another during the UFC 153 weigh in at HSBC Arena on October 12, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - OCTOBER 12: Rony "Jason" Mariano Bezerra displays a flag on stage before weighing in during the UFC 153 weigh in at HSBC Arena on October 12, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - OCTOBER 12: (L-R) Opponents Anderson Silva and Stephan Bonnar face off during the UFC 153 weigh in at HSBC Arena on October 12, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - OCTOBER 12: Lyoto Machida interacts with fans during a Q&A session before the UFC 153 weigh in at HSBC Arena on October 12, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - OCTOBER 12: Jose Aldo interacts with fans during a Q&A session before the UFC 153 weigh in at HSBC Arena on October 12, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - OCTOBER 12: (L-R) Opponents Demian Maia and Rick Story face off during the UFC 153 weigh in at HSBC Arena on October 12, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - OCTOBER 12: (L-R) Opponents Phil Davis and Wagner Prado face off during the UFC 153 weigh in at HSBC Arena on October 12, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - OCTOBER 12: (L-R) Opponents Jon Fitch and Erick Silva face off during the UFC 153 weigh in at HSBC Arena on October 12, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - OCTOBER 12: (L-R) Opponents Glover Teixeira and Fabio Maldonado face off during the UFC 153 weigh in at HSBC Arena on October 12, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

When the definitive history is written about Ultimate Fighting Championship, Anderson Silva and Stephan Bonnar will each be given their own chapter. On Saturday night, Bonnar has the chance to write a storybook finish to his tale.

Weeks after seemingly slipping into retirement, Bonnar was given an offer he couldn’t refuse. With UFC searching for a way to save UFC 153, its return to the birthplace of mixed martial arts, the company called on its greatest-ever fighter and one of its most iconic. So it is, in front of a sold-out crowd of rabid Brazilians at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Bonnar will enter Saturday’s light heavyweight bout versus Silva as the biggest main-event underdog in UFC history.

And he’s loving every minute of it.

“Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it. I asked for a big name, and I got the biggest name in the sport,” said Bonnar (14-7) this week in Brazil.

“But he’s fighting me at my weight, 205 pounds, and that gives me an advantage. He’s not fought anyone who will come at him like I have.”

Though he was never able to break into the elite tier of UFC’s light heavyweight division, Bonnar has long been one of the most popular fighters in the promotion. His bout versus Forrest Griffin during the Season 1 finale of The Ultimate Fighter in 2005 is widely regarded as the most important in UFC history. At a time when the company was struggling merely to stay afloat, their slugfest is considered the jumping-off point for the modern explosion of UFC.

Despite winning his last three bouts, Bonnar this summer announced that he was calling it a career unless a huge opportunity came his way. That’s exactly what happened last month when UFC 153’s top two matches were pulled within hours of each other, following injuries to featherweight champ Jose Aldo and light heavyweight contender Quinton Jackson.

Desperate to rebuild the card, UFC matchmakers reached into their bag of tricks: reigning middleweight champion Silva, on short notice, moved up to light heavyweight for the third time in his career, fighting in his home country against Bonnar in a three-round main event.

“Very rarely in life does a great opportunity come along for anyone. Getting the biggest shot of my career, when I had sort of retired, is kind of the story of my life,” said Bonnar, who has a career record of 8-6 in UFC. Of those losses, five came to future or former UFC champions: Griffin twice, Rashad Evans, Jon Jones and Mark Coleman.

“I’ve never really had the best of luck in my career. I’ve not had everything really fall into place for me. But now it really feels like all the stars are aligning just like it did on that magical night for the UFC back in 2005 when I fought Forrest Griffin for the first time.”

Silva (32-4), who sports a perfect 15-0 record in UFC and has held the middleweight title for more than six years, recognizes Bonnar’s place in the UFC annals. But just as Bonnar says he won’t be in awe of Silva when they square off, Silva says he has no problems moving up from the 185-pound division to face the fighter nicknamed ‘The American Psycho.’ At the age of 37, Silva is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, and he’s admittedly thinking about his legacy.

He already holds the company record for title defences (10), victories in title fights (11), longest winning streak (15), and longest title reign. He knows that even though he’s fighting up a weight class, a loss to Bonnar would be the lone blemish on his record. For that reason, not to mention that a dream fight against welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre is looming next year, he’s treating the contest as seriously as any title fight.

“For me, it is very important to retire undefeated, and I want to retire undefeated in the UFC,” said Silva, calling the UFC 153 bout “a tricky night for me.”

“If I have the chance, I will finish this fight in one round. Stephan Bonnar always fights so hard. I will have more speed, more agility than him, but I don’t know about the power. So if I see the chance, I will finish this quickly.”

If he does that, it will be another history-making performance for Silva: Bonnar has never been knocked out or submitted in his career.

“I’m going in there to fight him, not to just go in there and think it was cool to share an Octagon with Anderson Silva,” said Bonnar. “I’ve been hit by bigger, stronger guys and never been stopped. I mean, look at every fight I’ve ever had. I’ve been hit with lots of big shots but I get up and keep coming.

“He’s the most accurate striker in the sport, so I know I am going to get punched and kicked and I’m cool with that. But he’s going to get roughed up too. He’s getting punched and kicked, by a much bigger man. If I win this fight, I shock the world. I rule the world. Life is going to be good Saturday night.”

* Phil Davis (9-1, 1 NC) meets Wagner Prado (8-0, 1 NC) in a light heavyweight match. The two originally met in August but the bout was ruled a no-contest after just 88 seconds, when Davis accidentally poked Prado in the eye and the Brazilian was unable to continue.

* Demian Maia (16-4) takes on Rick Story (14-5) in a welterweight bout.